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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313217

Title: Utilization of early flowering genes to accelerate the genetic improvement of long-generation cycle plant species

Author
item Scorza, Ralph
item Dardick, Christopher - Chris
item Callahan, Ann
item Srinivasan, Chinnathambi
item RAINES, CHARLES - University Of California
item Demuth, Mark
item DEJONG, TED - University Of California
item HARPER, JAY - Pennsylvania State University
item CASTRO, SARAH - University Of California

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/27/2014
Publication Date: 12/1/2014
Citation: Scorza, R., Dardick, C.D., Callahan, A.M., Srinivasan, C., Raines, C.D., Demuth, M.A., Dejong, T.M., Harper, J., Castro, S. 2014. Utilization of early flowering genes to accelerate the genetic improvement of long-generation cycle plant species. Proceedings of the IX Reunion de Biologia Vegetal REBIVE - 2014. p. 15.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The tree fruit industry is facing challenges of climate change, reductions in available labor, the need for reduced chemical inputs, the spread of exotic pests and pathogens, and consumer demands for improved fruit quality. To meet these challenges, breeding new adapted fruit cultivars is critical. Current limitations of fruit breeding include long juvenility periods, significant field costs, and yearly limitations on flowering and fruiting related to dormancy. Much research has focused on marker assisted selection (MAS), germplasm characterization, and genetic engineering (GE) as means to advance tree fruit breeding. However, these strategies are all still limited by long generation cycles. We have developed a system to shorten the breeding cycle of fruit trees and other long-breeding-cycle crops. We have overcome the juvenility and environmental limitations of flowering and fruiting by incorporating a gene that induces trees to flower early and continually. This “FasTrack" breeding system has reduced the generation cycle of plum from 3-7 years to less than 1 year. The system allows for the rapid incorporation of important traits into plums and other long-generation-cycle crops and then in the final generation, when substantial improvements are clearly evident, only seedlings that do not contain the early flowering gene are selected. These are not considered in the USA to be genetically engineered. The selected trees may then be used directly as new varieties or as improved lines for further breeding. The ‘FasTrack’ breeding technology provides tree fruit and other long generation-cycle crop breeders with the ability to produce improved cultivars relatively rapidly to meet new market demands, climate change, and invasions of new diseases and pests in a way never before possible with conventional breeding.